


Memories of a  Hero

by darkdream253



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Amnesia, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Memory Loss, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:45:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10817361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkdream253/pseuds/darkdream253
Summary: It's been a long time since Dick Grayson lost his best friend and when he's starting to think he's ready to move on, something unexpected happens





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An idea I got after learning there was a comic in which Wally comes back, having been in a different dimension and not dead like everyone thinks

Nightwing stood out in the snow, nothing but white mounds and ice in any direction. He was wearing his white suit made for this kind of weather and carrying a device in his hands. He wasn't sure exactly what the Flash was expecting him to find out here, but the device wasn’t picking anything up yet. He sighed, sending a puff of steam spiraling through the air, and pressed on his communicator.

 

“I'm still not getting any signs of exotic matter. Are you sure those readings were correct? I mean, even the slightest miscalculation could--”

 

“Flash’s calculations weren't wrong,” Batman said from the other end, watching Dick from the batcave,” Keep looking. There has to be something there.”

 

Dick sighed again, putting his head in his hand. When he said he was thinking about ending the break he took from being a hero, he hadn't even made up his mind yet. Still, the moment Barry came to them to with this, Bruce couldn't send him back out in the field fast enough. To the place where he lost his best friend, no less. Barry was going to owe him big time for this one later.

 

Dick still wasn't expecting to find anything, especially since the machine hadn't even flickered since he got here. Even in Gotham, there were slight amounts of exotic matter. Not usually enough to make a breach between worlds, but it was there. Central City definitely had a lot more, the place was a hot-spot for interdimensional travelers. The Flash had actually been trying to find a breach and return someone through it when he'd caught the spike of exotic matter in the North Pole. He'd only come to them because he still had to deal with the traveler.

 

Suddenly, the machine made a few beeps, almost inaudible past the sounds of the harsh winds. He hadn't expected to find anything, but obviously there was something here. He kept moving and the machine grew louder as he walked. He hadn't realized where he was until he saw something he hadn't wanted to see since the last time he'd been here.

 

The area where the Reach’s MFD once was now barely came into view through the blinding snowfall. The storm that was caused by the device had crystallized the ice beneath, creating an ice floor that spread a few good meters across from where he stood. He couldn't even see the other side with the snow falling right now. The machine picked up quite a bit of exotic matter here, which must have been residual energy from the MFD. It still didn't read high enough to warrant investigating in his opinion, but it had obviously caught the Flash’s attention.

 

“I'm in the center of the MFD location,” Dick spoke into the communicator again once he'd made it to the spot where the machine read the highest,” The Reach’s device must have left some exotic matter behind after it activated. The readings are pretty high here, but certainly not high enough to really do any harm. I'm going to head to the nearest Zeta and come back to the cave.”

 

“Negative, you haven't reached the exotic matter level the Flash gave us,” Bruce sounded stern on the other end,” Search the perimeter, try to find the readings he got. I want to be thorough, look for any signs of transdimensional energy. If someone came or went through a breach, I want to know about it.”

 

Yet another sigh escaped from Dick as he moved from the center of the icy crater. He started around the perimeter, looking at the counter in his hands. His thoughts started to drift, turning towards his best friend. Wally had wanted to get out of the hero business, keep him and Artemis safe. He'd only come back because Dick dragged Artemis into his and Aqualad’s undercover operation. He wouldn't have gotten either of them involved if he'd known what was going to happen. Wally wouldn't have been out in the field when the MFDs were going off if he'd just left both of them alone.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by loud beeping from the machine. He hadn't even realized how high the readings had gotten until he looked down at it now. The device was getting higher readings than from the MFD. It might have been enough for a breach, but that didn't mean that one had formed. He needed to look for signs of transdimensional energy now, so he put away the counter.

 

He threw a couple of Wing Dings at the open air, which would bounce off a breach if they touched it. They sailed past the point he was searching and disappeared into the snow. If there was a breach, it probably wasn't very big. He decided to move closer to look for any other signs of a breach there. As he did, he noticed a slight shimmer to the air, the telltale sign of an open breach. It wasn't big enough for a person, but if someone did intend to pass through, it could still grow larger.

 

“I found a breach,” he spoke over his comm once more while staring at the small rip in dimensions,” It’s small, but it might still be forming. I don't think anyone has used it yet, or if they did, they’re long gone. There should probably be some form of surveillance on it in case someone tries to pass through.”

 

“Alright, then head back to the cave,” Bruce’s voice crackled through the speaker, sudden static on the line. Dick thought it was strange, but he didn't have time to ask about it as the breach suddenly flashed blindingly bright. He shielded his eyes, looking back as it faded again. There was a figure emerging from the breach now, Dick flinching back and holding his Wing Dings at the ready.

 

The figure started to collapse, surprising Dick, who reached out and caught the person before they fell into the snow. The comm flared to life, static now gone,” Nightwing, what happened? What was that? I’ve lost visual.”

 

“Someone came through the breach,” he filled his mentor in on what happened,” Prep the med bay at the Watchtower. There’s no sign of injury, but they’re out cold. They could need medical attention.”

 

“Can you identify who came through the breach?”

 

Dick looked down at the collapsed figure in his arms. By the build they held, they were a young adult male who probably exercised regularly. The way Dick had caught the unconscious man had left him halfway over his shoulder, making it hard to identify. He shifted the person around to get a better look. There was shock once he was able to see the face. He must’ve sat there for too long, because the sound of Bruce’s voice jostled him from his thoughts. “Nightwing, can you identify them?”

 

He finally placed a finger to his ear to answer. “It’s Wally."


	2. Chapter 2

It had been three days since a breach opened and Wally West fell through. Dick had rushed him to the nearest Zeta tube and got him to the Watchtower as quickly as he could, but he still had yet to wake. As the doctors at the tower checked him, there was an argument between him and Bruce. To be fair, Bruce did make a good point about the fact that this might not even be the Wally West he grew up with.

 

He hadn't talked to Bruce since, mostly because Bruce hadn't really come to the Watchtower since that day except for meetings. However, Dick knew that Bruce was probably keeping tabs on Wally. Not that Dick cared, Bruce never trusted anyone, not even him sometimes. This didn't keep Dick from getting nervous when they tested to see if Wally was from their world. He was relieved when it had been determined that this was the Wally he'd known as his friend.

 

Barry had come by a few times, but not for awhile. He was probably busy in Central City, but Dick would definitely tell him the instant Wally woke up. Meanwhile, Dick hadn't left Wally’s side, barely even sleeping in case he opened his eyes. Not that this was a new concept, as Robin he'd spent days awake in the batcave when he had to.

 

Sleep was starting to catch up to him now, counting the hours as the third day continued to roll past and Wally still wouldn't open his eyes. It was most likely just the strain of passing through a breach that was keeping him from waking, but since going through a breach can affect many travellers differently, no one could say for sure. There were so many factors to dimensional travel that anything could be causing this.

 

“Any changes?” The familiar voice of Miss Martian rang out, Dick looking up to meet her eyes.

 

“No, nothing yet,” Dick let out a sigh, turning his eyes back to Wally.

 

“I'm sure he'll be just fine,” M’gann reassured him,” He'll be up and running again in no time, just be patient.”

 

Her words did help a little, but it was hard to be patient when someone you thought was dead suddenly comes back. He knew all about that already, but this was different. Wally was his best friend, giving him even more reason to worry. M’gann had obviously sensed this, because when he looked back, her smile was gone.

 

She quickly put on another small smile and spoke again. “You, on the other hand, look like a wreck. Either you need more sleep or a cup of coffee. I brought you your favorite.”

 

Dick took the cup, giving a quick thanks in return. She moved to the door, explaining,” I’m going to get back to the team now. Just wanted to pop in real quick before our mission. I'll see you when we get back.”

 

“Yeah, see you,” Dick waved after her. When she was gone, he wondered what kind of mission Kaldur had the team on right now. A few of them had come and gone in the three days that Wally had been here, but this was the first mission they'd had in that time.

 

The only person who hadn't stopped by was Artemis, who Dick had yet to tell the news. With Wally still not waking up, he didn't want to get her hopes up if Wally never woke up. Luckily she hadn't been in contact with the team much either, so keeping it from her for now was fairly easy.

 

He looked at the coffee in his hand, taking a quick sip. Just as he thought, it wasn't how he liked it. He'd tested out how well he could put up mental blocks with M’gann when the team first formed, hiding small things like his favorite coffee.

 

She still thought that this was what he liked, though he couldn't blame her. She made the effort to bring it. He put the cup aside, opting to take a quick nap instead. Though he didn't want to be sleeping when Wally woke up, M’gann was right. He needed more sleep, so he closed his eyes and let himself drift off.

 

He was woken up awhile later by one of the attendants. After the first day and a half had passed and Wally hadn't woken, they'd decided to try giving him stimulants every twelve hours to try and wake him. Though it was a much higher dose than what would be given to most patients, Wally probably barely felt it. Being a speedster, he burned off most substances in no time due to his high metabolism.

 

This was the fourth dose and he didn't have much higher hopes for this one. They had Dick watch him for ten to thirty minutes after it was given, but so far the most it did was cause Wally to stir a bit. Still, he was going to watch to see if anything changed. Maybe this would be what wakes him, maybe the next dose would. Dick just had to hope that something would work.

 

Fifteen minutes passed as Dick watched the rise and fall of Wally’s chest as he breathed. He let out a frustrated sigh, though he'd expected there to be no effect. Just as he did, there was rapid beeping from the machines. Dick’s head snapped up to see Wally thrashing in the bed. He'd never seen this violent a reaction from him before. He moved over to the bed, holding Wally’s arms to try and keep him still.

 

Thoughts rushed through Dick’s head. Wally could be hurt, having a seizure, reacting badly to the stimulants. Dick tried to keep calm, thinking of things it could be, then noticing Wally’s eyes moving behind closed lids. He was still in REM cycle, maybe the medicine was causing a nightmare.

 

Dick did the only thing he could think of to help by speaking to him,” Hey, Wally, I'm right here. Whatever it is, it's not real, it's just a nightmare.” He wasn't even sure if his voice would reach, but this was all he could think to do.

 

Wally started to calm after that, letting out a ragged breath as he settled down. Dick sat back down, relief melting through him. He was just glad that it wasn't worse than that. However, he realized it wasn't over as he heard a groan from Wally and looked to his friend again. Wally started to stir and Dick saw his eyelids flutter open for a moment. He was up so fast, his head almost hit the ceiling. He sent a message to Barry, which just said ‘Wally’. That would be all he needed to run here as fast as he could.

 

Wally’s eyes opened and closed a few times before settling on open. He looked around the room, probably trying to process everything after just waking up. Those green eyes Dick hadn't seen in so long took in everything before meeting his own. There was confusion in them as Wally spoke, asking him,” Where am I?”

 

It was a strange question to Dick, but he let it go, since Wally was probably still trying to clear his mind after just waking. “You were out when I found you, so I took you to the Watchtower Medbay.”

 

“The Watchtower?” The next question threw Dick off for a moment, until he remembered that the team wasn't given full access to the Watchtower until after Wally’s disappearance. Wally was probably expecting to be in a Central City hospital, which was why he was confused.

 

“Yeah, the team has full access to the Watchtower now,” Dick explained, trying to help clear things up.

 

“The team?”

 

Dick felt a knot form with the next question. How could Wally forget the team? Even if he was still trying to clear his head, how could he forget his friends and everything they went through?

 

“It was you, me, and Aqualad who formed the team,” Dick tried not to show he was panicking a bit as he continued to explain,” We just wanted to be taken seriously. You don't remember?”

  
“No, I don't.” The answer had Dick reeling, trying to process what Wally just said. “I'm sorry, I don't remember anything.”


End file.
